1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the manufacture of continuous welded seam metal tubes or pipes, and more particularly to the cutting or severing and disposal of a continuous weld bead scarfed from the interior surface of the tube or pipe as it is manufactured.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a widely used process for producing welded seam pipes and tubes, a continuous metal strip or skelp is advanced through forming apparatus and progressively shaped into a tubular form having an open, longitudinally extending seam. The formed tube then advances through a welding station wherein the adjacent longitudinal edges are urged together and joined by a suitable welding process. The particular welding process employed will generally be indicated by the material from which the tube or pipe is fabricated, for example, low carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, etc., and may include any of the welding techniques conventionally employed with the different materials. Such welding often results in formation of a raised bead or flash extending along the longitudinal weld seam on one or both of the interior and exterior surfaces, and which may be undesirable on the finished product.
In a widely employed preferred process the tube or pipe is subjected to electrical induction so that the edges are heated to fusion temperature and the heated edges are urged together to produce a continuous weld of the seam. As a result of the pressure applied in forcing the heated edges together to achieve fusion, the material bulges both outwardly and inwardly to create a raised bead or flash extending along the weld seam on both the interior and exterior surfaces of the tube or pipe. An apparatus for producing such continuous welded seam tubing is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,960, issued Sep. 22, 1992.
In order to produce a commercially acceptable product, it is generally necessary to remove the protruding portion of the bead or flash flush with the surface of the tube or pipe. Various devices have been proposed heretofore for removing both the internal bead and the external bead. Removal of the external bead can be accomplished by any of a number of conventional processes such as grinding and scarfing. External surface scarfing apparatus is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,249,349, issued May 3, 1966, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,013 issued Mar. 9, 1992. Removing the internal bead is, of course more difficult than removing the external bead due to the restricted access to the removal area. A scarfing tool particularly suited for removing the internal bead is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,180, issued Jul. 15, 1986.
Following welding of the seam and severing of the raised internal and external weld beads, the continuous tube or pipe may advance through additional traction and working roll units for sizing. Thereafter, the advancing tube or pipe is severed transversely into sections of predetermined length. The external bead, as indicated, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,013, may be collected upon a reel for disposal as it is severed from the tube. The internal bead, however, is not accessible and thus remains within the tube following severance from the internal surface. Cylindrical tube or pipe is generally cut into sections by means of a rotary cutter which rotates around the outer periphery of the advancing pipe and progressively cuts through the pipe wall until the section is severed from the continuous member. The weld bead within the pipe is not, of course, severed by the rotary cutter. Following separation from the continuous member, the individual section is accelerated forwardly for transfer to a storage rack adjacent the production line. The weld bead carried within the tube sections becomes exposed between the sections and tends to break and become entangled in the conveyor mechanism before it can be removed. The weld bead thus not only creates a severe maintenance problem, but also represents a hazard to employees working in the area.